Elysian Camerata

In trying to find a name for this ensemble that we felt would be true to our self-image, we looked at words and ideas that would express how deeply we love this music. The term ‘elysian’ means literally ‘heavenly’. We could find no other word that so singularly and so completely expresses how we feel about our work. About us . . . .

Whether it be an intimate duo for violin and , a dramatic piano quintet or a grand string sextet, Elysian Camerata has built an enormous repertoire, along with its outstand- ing reputation, encompassing of all styles and ensemble sizes. For more than a decade the Elysians have shared their musical insight with countless audiences throughout Pennsylvania and beyond. Ever mindful of the composer’s original intent, these skilled musicians infuse their own passion and inspiration into the genius within the music to create some of the most exciting and musically provocative performances in the Phila- delphia area. Music from the early Baroque to recently composed and commissioned works are all part of the diverse fare that one can expect to find on an Elysian program. The Camerata’s core instrumentation of two violins, two violas, cello and piano serve as the basis from which it regroups into various sizes and types of ensembles. On occasion they invite guest artists of other instrumentation to join them in concert.

The members of Elysian Camerata, all independently established musicians in Philadelphia and its environs, are involved in performance and teaching with numerous area ensembles and institutions. Their individual careers have involved them with most of the area's major ensembles and music schools. Elysian Camerata's members have performed with the Penn- sylvania Ballet Company, Allentown Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Chamber Or- chestra, the Philly Pops, Relache, Lehigh Valley Chamber Orchestra, Opera New Jersey, Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Classical Symphony, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Opera Company, Tempesta di Mare, Princeton Symphony Or- chestra and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The Elysians all share a strong commitment to passing on their musical legacies through teaching. Some of the members have had long-standing affiliations with the Settlement Music School network while others teach at area schools and colleges, including Haverford College, Bryn Mawr College and the Community College of Philadelphia. Additionally, they all maintain private teaching studios.

Chamber music is the one constant that binds together the members of this ensemble. Throughout their respective careers all of the Elysian musicians have continued to hone and develop their formidable skills in the art of chamber music performance. Other cham- ber ensembles that the Elysians are or have been involved with include the Serafin Quartet, the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble, the Arioso String Quartet, the Castalia String Trio, Pyxis Piano Quartet, the Fairmount String Quartet, the Tenor Clef Dwellers and the Soglio Chamber Players. Elysian Camerata continues to explore new musical paths and bring their dynamic playing to new audiences both near and far.

As they start their second decade as a performing ensemble Elysian Camerata celebrates the ten-year mark performing their series at the Church of St. Asaph in the Philadelphia suburb of Bala Cynwyd. What we offer . . . .

Elysian Camerata prides itself on presenting performances of outstanding quality that put an emphasis on the great diversity to be found in the chamber music repertoire. Our concerts typically include three to four chamber works featuring ensembles of differing size and instrumentation which lend interest and an ele- ment of unpredictability to our concerts. We tailor our concerts to meet the pre- senter’s format requirements.

Our concerts are often supplemented by brief oral program notes so that the au- dience will have a greater appreciation for the music. Elysian Camerata also offers more extensive pre-concert lectures that explore the background of the program in greater detail. These lectures can, at times, include musical demonstrations to alert the audience to thematic material they will be hearing during the concert.

In addition to our concertizing experience, all Elysian Camerata members have ex- tensive backgrounds as teachers and chamber music coaches. We would be pleased to schedule master classes and/or chamber music coachings with students within a presenter’s local area.

Elysian Camerata also offers educational outreach programs aimed at school-aged audiences. If you are interested in scheduling such an event please contact us for more details about this program. Contact information . . . .

For concert and residency bookings please contact:

Talia Schiff 1109 Wallace Drive Fort Washington, PA 19034 (215)643-9446 [email protected] www.elysiancamerata.org

Sample Repertoire . . . .

Béla Bartók Zoltán Kodály Rhapsody for violin and piano Intermezzo for String Trio Sonate for Violoncello and Piano, Op. 4 Duet for Viola and Cello with two obligato eyeglasses Gustav Mahler String Quartet in D major, Op. 18, no. 3 Piano Quartet in A minor String Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, no. 2 String Quartet in E-flat major, Op.74, the “Harp” Felix Mendelssohn String Quintet in C major, Op. 29 Piano Trio No.1 in D minor, Op. 63 String Trio in G major, Op. 9, no. 1 String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 String Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 87 Leonard Bernstein Three Meditations from Mass for Cello and Piano Darius Milhaud Sonatine a Trois Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart String Quintet No. 1 in F major, Op. 88 Piano Trio in G major, K. 496 String Quintet No.2 in G major, Op.111 Piano Quartet in G minor, K.478 Piano Quartet in E-flat major, K. 493 Rebecca Clarke String Quartet in D major, K. 575 Dumka for Piano Trio Adagio for String Quintet, KV 411 String Quintet in C minor, K. 406 Arcangelo Corelli String Quintet in C major, K. 515 Sonata in F Major for two violins and continuo Op. 1 1 String Quintet in G minor, K. 516 String Quintet in D major, K. 593 String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 Max Reger String Trio No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77b Ernő Dohnányi Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 1 Serenade for String Trio String Quartet in A minor, Op. 29 String Trio in B major, D. 471 Antonin Dvořák Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81 Clara Schumann String Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 97 Romances for Violin and Piano, Op. 22 Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 17 Alexander Glazunov Elegie for Viola and Piano, Op. 44 Robert Schumann Sonata in A minor for Violin and Piano, Op. 105 Mikhail Glinka Märchenbilder for Viola and Piano, Op.113 Three Russian Songs for violin, viola and piano Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 49 Phantasiestucke for Piano Trio, Op. 88 Franz Josef Haydn Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47 String Quartet in F minor, Op. 20 no. 5 String Quartet No. 3 in A major, Op. 41 no. 3 String Quartet in C major, Op. 20 no. 2 Piano Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 44

Paul Hindemith Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 25 no.3 Piano Quintet, Op. 57 Duet for Viola and Violoncello (1936) William Grant Still Alan Hovhaness Lyric Quartette String Trio, Op. 201 (1963) Ralph Vaughan Williams Arthur Honegger Phantasy String Quintet Sonatina for Violin and Cello A native of Minersville, PA, violinist Dana Weiderhold studied under Simon Maurer, Sylvia Ahramjian, Michael Jamanis, James Stern and Arnold Steinhardt and has received degrees Our members . . . . from both West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Uni- versity of Maryland. Ms. Weiderhold has concertized in Vene- zuela, Romania, Carnegie Hall, most recently appeared at Tulane University in New Orleans with her piano trio “Salisi” and was a featured soloist in Cameroon. She has appeared on WHYY, XPN, WRTI, WVIA, NBC, and QVC and has been a featured soloist with the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, West Chester University Chamber and Symphony Orchestras and the Newark Symphony Orchestra. Dana is principal sec- ond violinist of the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, assistant concertmaster of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, serves as assistant concertmaster of the PA Philharmonic and is concertmaster of the Anthracite Philharmonic. She has performed as an orchestral musician with the Annapolis, Al- lentown, Chester County Pops and Kennett Symphonies and Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra. As an active chamber musi- cian, she is violinist in the piano trio “Salisi” and has appeared as a guest artist with the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble. Ex- pressing her interest in both classical and Indy Rock music, Dana has collaborated with some of Philadelphia’s most pop- ular singer/songwriters having appeared on Andrew Lipke’s “The Plague” and “Siddiqah” as first violinist of the Azrael String Quartet. Ms. Weiderhold has been providing private violin and viola instruction for students of all ages and levels for well over a decade. She has been a faculty member at the Barbara Jaffe, violinist, received a Master of Music degree Darlington Fine Arts Center, The Music Centre, Blue Moun- in Performance and Literature from the Eastman School tain Academy, Olenka School of Music in Maryland and has of Music, where she was a student of Donald Weilerstein. instructed young student group classes at the Pennsylvania She graduated magna cum laude from the Philadelphia Academy of Music in Lancaster. Dana coaches chamber mu- College of the Performing Arts with a Bachelor of Music sic at the Bear Crossing Chamber Music String Camp each degree and was the recipient of the PCPA Book Prize for summer as well as Vermont Music and Arts Program at excellence in the Liberal Arts. Former teachers include Lyndon State College, VT. She is currently on faculty at the Edgar Ortenberg, Charles Castleman, David Cerone, and Linden Hall School in Lititz, PA and maintains private studio YumiNinomiya-Scott. located in the heart of West Chester, Pennsylvania. A founding member of Elysian Camerata, Ms. Jaffe’s chamber music career began in 1982 in Great Falls, Mon- tana with the Cascade String Quartet, the resident quar- tet affiliated with the Great Falls Symphony, and followed with a position in the Bradley University String Quartet in Peoria, Illinois. In the greater Philadelphia area, Ms. Jaffe has performed with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Ballet and Opera Delaware Orchestras, Philly Pops, Rela- che, the Fairmount String Quartet and Chamber Ensem- ble, and the Arioso Quartet. In the Lehigh Valley she has performed with the Pennsylvania Sinfonia Orchestra, the Gabriel Chamber Ensemble and the Lehigh Valley Cham- ber Orchestra. Ms. Jaffe has performed in Switzerland as a member of the New Bridge Ensemble. Barbara Jaffe has taught violin students at Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges and maintains a teaching studio in her home as well. In the summer she is a faculty member, performer and chamber music coach at the Vermont Mu- sic and Arts Center in Lyndonville, Vermont. Philadelphia native Amy Leonard, violist, received performance degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music, and has studied baroque viola at Oberlin’s Baroque Performance Institute. Principal teachers have includ- ed Leonard Mogill, Jeffrey and Lynne Ramsey Irvine, Karen Ritscher, Charles Bruck, and Jane Starkman. An exceptionally versatile musician, Amy has held positions with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, The New World Symphony, and as assistant principal violist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, where Amy performed with the internationally recognized contemporary ensemble Nua Nos, or “New Noise”. Amy has also participated in a number of music festivals in North America and Europe such as Aspen, Banff, Spoleto USA, Mostra Mozart in Venice, Italy, and enjoyed a long standing relationship with the Pierre Monteux School in Hancock, Maine, first as student then as administrator and director of the school’s chamber music series. A devoted teacher, Amy was a faculty member at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA, for four years and at the Music School of Delaware for seven. Currently Amy maintains a large and lively studio teaching violin and viola at the Shipley School in Bryn Mawr, PA and privately. Recent recital appearances have been at Rowan University, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, and the Philadelphia Ethical Society. As a freelance musician she is very much in demand, Louise Jaffe, violist, received a Master of Music De- performing in addition to the Elysian Camerata, as a member gree in Performance and Literature from the Eastman of the contemporary music octet Relache, the Pyxis Piano School of Music in Rochester, New York. Ms. Jaffe Quartet, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, and the baroque earned a Bachelor of Music from the Philadelphia ensembles Tempesta di Mare and Brandywine Baroque. Amy College of Performing Arts (PCPA). At Eastman, also performs frequently with other ensembles such as the Louise studied viola with Heidi Castleman, and cham- Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra, Philly Pops, and in recent years ber music with members of the Cleveland Quartet. At has been a guest artist with groups such as the Copeland PCPA, she studied violin with Charles Castleman, and String Quartet, La Bernardinia baroque ensemble, and Me- viola with Patynka Kopec. Other notable musicians lomanie. with whom Louise has worked include Donald She has recorded under the auspices of the Chandos, Plectra, Weilerstein, Mitchell Stern, Edgar Ortenberg, and NMC, Naxos, Meyer Media, and BMG Classics labels, as well as Abram Loft. for PBS, NFL Films, and Irish Film Orchestras. Ms. Jaffe began her performing career as violist with the Shelbourne and Cascade Quartets, string quartets based in Great Falls, Montana. Since then she has performed in numerous chamber recitals in the Unit- ed States and abroad, including concerts in Zurich, Bern, Boltigen, and Castasegna, Switzerland. Louise is a founding member of Elysian Camerata. She also performs with Pennsylvania Sinfonia Or- chestra, Gabriel Chamber Ensemble, New Bridge En- semble (Switzerland), Chadds Ford Strings, ViVaCe Strings, and Fairmount Chamber Ensemble. Addi- tionally, she has performed with Lehigh Valley Cham- ber Orchestra, Delaware Symphony, Allentown Sym- phony, and Pennsylvania Opera Theater. Ms. Jaffe’s other love is teaching violin and viola. She maintains an active teaching studio of thirty students, working with children of all ages and adults. Louise spends a portion of her summers in Lyndon- ville, VT where she is faculty violist at Vermont Music and Arts Center. In this magical place she coaches chamber groups and performs with professional and non-professional musicians who are passionate about chamber music. Rahel Inniger, pianist, was the recipient of the “Lehrdiplom” (teaching diploma) in 1979 from the Konservatorium Bern (Switzerland) where she was a student of Rosemarie Stucki. As a recipient of a Kiefer/ Hablitzel Stiftung scholarship she was able to come to the United States to continue her education. She ma- jored in piano performance at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, from which she re- ceived a Master of Music degree in Performance and Literature in 1982. Ms. Inniger’s piano teachers at Eastman included Barry Snyder and Barbara Lister- Sink, and chamber music coaches included Abram Loft, Peter Salaff, and Rebecca Penneys. Further stud- ies included vocal accompaniment with Daphne Ibbott in Sussex, England and music pedagogy workshops in Stuttgart and Bad Hersfeld, Germany. In 1982 Ms. Inniger accepted a teaching position at the Musikschule Kandertal in Frutigen, Switzerland where she remained until 1986. During this time she served as accompanist at the Konservatorium Bern in the master classes of clarinetist Jost Michaels and cellist Siegfried Palm and in the studios of clarinet professor Cellist Talia Schiff, a founding member of Elysian Camerata, Kurt Weber and violin professor Igor Ozim. completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University as a After moving to the United States in 1986, Ms. Inniger student of renowned cellist Leslie Parnas, where she was the was employed by the Settlement Music School in Phil- recipient of the Edwin E. Stein Award for Excellence in Musical adelphia as staff accompanist and faculty member, Studies. As first-place winner of the 1982 Austrian-American teaching both piano and chamber music. She main- Society Mozarteum Scholarship Competition she was awarded tains a private teaching studio in Ardmore, PA. Rahel a summer of study in Salzburg with the legendary Italian cel- is a founding member of Elysian Camerata as well as a list Antonio Janigro. She later attended the Peabody Institute, member of the New Bridge Ensemble in Switzerland. earning her Master of Music degree in the studios of concert cellists Stephen Kates and Yehuda Hanani. Chamber music always playing a central role in Ms. Schiff’s career, she attend- ed summer chamber music festivals where she studied with, among others, James Buswell, Nathaniel Rosen, John Graham and Toby Appel. Ms. Schiff subsequently went on to help cre- ate the Castalia String Trio, semifinalists in the 1987 Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. In 1989 Ms. Schiff continued to pursue her love of chamber music by becoming a founding member of the Tenor Clef Dwellers: a cello quartet. For the next decade she devoted much of her artistic energy to developing the performance and repertoire of the cello quartet ensemble. In spring of 2001, a collection of music she had tran- scribed for the Tenor Clef Dwellers’ was published by Musicel- li Publications. A former member of Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Schiff left her post there to pursue a position with the Prince- ton Symphony Orchestra with whom she currently performs. Formerly the principal cellist of both Opera NJ and Pottstown Symphony Orchestra, she has also performed as a substitute cellist with the Philadelphia Opera Company orchestra, the Pennsylvania Ballet orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Phila- delphia, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She also appears fre- quently with Philly Pops. Her diverse activities include per- forming the solo cello part in the world premiere of the Ben Steinberg work “Psalm of Thanksgiving” in Philadelphia’s Veri- zon Hall, as well as a brief appearance with the iconic group Earth, Wind and Fire. She is also now the newest member of the Philadelphia-area rock band, Nxt2Normal, with whom she performs locally as cellist and back-up vocalist. Montgomery News (montgomerynews.com)

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Entertainment Elysian Camerata in full force at Regol Concert Tuesday, May 18, 2010

By Joe Barron Staff Writer

To those who care about such things, the term “piano trio” connotes a single, unchanging combination of instruments — the violin, for melody; the cello, for bass; and the piano, for everything else.

Rebecca Clarke, an English composer who lived from 1886 to 1979, bent the rule in the early 1940s with her “Dumka” for violin, viola and piano. Clarke made her living as a violist, and it only makes sense she would write a piece that gave her something to do. Still, the scoring is problematic, not least because the two string instruments are close enough in range to make any strong contrasts difficult to maintain. Mostly, the violin and viola are either mirroring each other or engaging in dialogue, says Talia Schiff, the cellist with the Elysian Camerata.

The “Dumka” is a rarely-heard piece by a relatively unknown composer, but it’s certainly attractive, and the Elysian Camerata is doing the public a favor by scheduling it as the opening work in its concert Saturday evening in Jenkintown. The concert marks the group’s return to form after an injury to one of its members forced the cancellation of a concert in March, as well as the return of one of its founding members, the vio- linist Jean Shook, who had withdrawn from performances for close to a year.

It is also the first time all seven members of the Camerata have appeared on the same bill, though they will not all appear together in any one piece, Schiff said recently at her home in Fort Washington. The group consists of five string players and the pianist Rahel Inniger. Very little music exists for that combination of musicians, and so the Camerata selects its repertoire with an eye toward variety, as well as giving some members a night off once in a while.

The other two works on Saturday’s program are acknowledged masterpieces — Mozart’s String Quintet in C Minor, K. 406, and Antonin’s Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81. As the first piece of the evening, Clarke’s “Dumka” will give pianist Inniger a chance to warm up before tack- ling Dvorak’s longer, more challenging quintet, Schiff said.

The piece also introduces a theme of sorts to the program, since the second movement of the Dvorak is also titled “Dumka.” The Oxford Dictionary of Music defines the term as a Slavonic folk ballad with alternating slow and fast sec- tions. It might seem odd that an English composer like Clarke would be drawn to an obscure eastern European form, but on reflection, it’s no weirder than Tchaikovsky writing a Spanish serenade. Of course, as a Czech, Dvorak had the music in his bones.

Schiff enjoys telling the story of the time, in 1919, when Clarke submitted a viola sonata to a chamber music con- test sponsored by the Washington socialite Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. Clarke came in second to the more famous Ernst Bloch, but her sonata was so good that some members of the press speculated that “Rebecca Clarke” was a pen name, and the composer was so accomplished that she just had to be — well, you know, a man.

Not long after reading that story, Schiff heard that Philadelphia’s Jennifer Higdon had just won the Pulitzer Prize for composition.

“Women composers have come a long way,” Schiff said.

As familiar as it is, the Mozart quintet presented particular challenges. Mozart wrote the piece as a serenade for a dozen wind players and arranged it for string quintet in a rush a few years later. In rehearsal, the Camerata players found themselves puzzling over the articulations, trying to figure out how best to preserve the original flavor of the mu- sic on their own instruments.

“Obviously, I’m playing the bassoon part a lot of the time,” Schiff said.

Trying to pinpoint the best work of a front-rank composer like Mozart is always a subjective enterprise, but there is no doubt that his late quintets are among his greatest chamber music.

“They’re the apex of his string output,” Schiff said. “You hear a lot of opera in all his late [instrumental] music, especial- ly his string quintets.”

If You Go: Elysian Camerata will perform in a Regol Concert at Grace Presbyterian Church 444 Old York Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046 Saturday, May 22, 6:30 p.m. Tickets: $ 8 - $20. Info: 215-528-0582 or www.regolconcerts.com. Montgomery News (montgomerynews.com)

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Entertainment

Elysian Camerata tackles challenging rhythms — including a Pace premiere Published: Tuesday, March 06, 2012 By Joe Barron

The Elysian Camerata faced the same challenges when it played Brahms’ String Quintet Op. 111 for the first time as it did when it picked up the spanking new String Quintet Roberto Pace completed in January.

“We were pulling our hair out trying to figure out how to get these rhythms to lock together,” Talia Schiff, Elysian’s cellist, said March 5 in a telephone interview. “Each part has something that is a little bit different. If the ensemble is not absolutely tight, it could very easily devolve into chaos.”

Schiff’s comments could easily apply to Pace’s rhythmic intricacies, but in this case, she was talking about Brahms.

“It’s one of our personal favorites,” she added. “It’s a grand piece.”

The Elysian Camerata will perform the Brahms and Pace quintets Sunday afternoon at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, along with Beethoven’s early but ambitious String Trio Op. 9, No. 1.

A new-music premiere was a first for the group, which had an exciting time not only learning Pace’s music, Schiff said, but also learning how to learn it.

The first thing they learned was that they could not simply sight-read the piece. They needed to break it down into short, manageable bites, which they proceeded to cobble together — a painstaking process for a work that lasts only about 10 minutes. After four rehearsals, they came to understand it.

“At that point, we started to really enjoy the piece,” Schiff said. “Some of it sounds very free-form and almost non-metric, and then he has, on the other extreme, things that are specific rhythms with an almost jazzy, beat-box feel to it.”

Pace rarely talks about “form” in his music. Speaking by telephone March 2, he said that too much analysis can leave listeners frustrated and confused, and he prefers to talk about his work in a more general way.

“People talk about color and they talk about rhythm in my music,” he said. “Usually my music is not based on a specific kind of form. It’s more like a fantasy where there are related episodes that mutate into each other.”

Unlike Brahms, who was haunted by the example of Beethoven all his life, Pace, who has lived in South Philadelphia since 2000, said he is not the least bit uneasy about sharing a program with a classic piece that has the same instrumentation as his own.

“This piece is not modeled on Schubert or Brahms or Mozart,” he said. “It’s based upon the ensemble itself.”

The self-confidence and the originality have been with him since his student days in the 1970s. When Pace was just 18, Donald Martino, the ultra-modernist who taught him composition at the New England Conservatory of Music, told him that he had skipped the phases most young composers go through, imitating Hindemith or Bartok or Stravinsky, before they find their own voice.

“He said, you already have your style,” Pace recalled. “Some people go through these phases. I didn’t have phases.”

While Schiff did not profess to have conquered all of the complexities of Pace’s quintet, Pace did not claim to have plumbed the depths of the Camerata’s musicianship, even though he kept the individual members in mind while he was writing.

The quintet exploits the lushness of Louise Jaffe’s viola, he said, as well as the virtuosity of her sister, first violinist Barbara Jaffe, and the “creamy” timbre of second violinist Jean Shook.

“I don’t know if they wanted me to write it on them, but they’re not unhappy about it,” he said. “At any moment in your life, you’re thinking of certain colors and certain rhythms that create a cohesive piece using the elements. Hopefully, I think that’s what has happened, but the listener has to judge.”

Elysian Camerata will perform at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, 411 Susquehanna Road, Ambler, PA 19002, Sunday, March 11, 3 p.m. A free-will offering of $15 is suggested. Info: 215-646-7999 or www.elysiancamerata.org. Testimonials . . . .

"Elysian Camerata performed in the Mallery Concert Series at Rutgers University-Camden in spring 2012 and 2015. On both occasions the performances were first-rate and warmly received by the audiences. I highly recommend the group and look forward to their re- turn to the series soon." Joseph C. Schiavo, Artistic Director Mallery Concert Series, Rutgers University – Camden, NJ

"Elysian Camerata performed on our series 'Afternoon Music' in 2013. The audience was enthralled by their exciting performances of chamber works by Mendelssohn, Brahms and Rebecca Clarke. The group's sound is rich and warm, and it filled our space gor- geously. Members of Elysian Camerata gave informed and interesting commentaries before playing each piece, which only enhanced this excellent concert." Mitchell Vines, artistic director Afternoon Music Concert Series, Summit, NJ

"Excitement bubbled throughout the music . . . . The audience was rapt as the ladies of Elysian Camerata brought life and breath to chamber music. They were a pleasure to be- hold, and Charleston would be graced to see them come back soon." Autumn D. F. Hopkins Charleston Gazette

“. . . . . I can't thank you enough for your fabulous performance at St. John's yesterday. You certainly lived up to your name and transported all those in attendance and gave an inspiring performance. I am blessed to be able to offer many wonderful performers on our series, but I definitely felt I was in the presence of greatness yesterday.” Lawrence Baker, Choirmaster and Director Arts at St. John’s, Centre Square, PA

“The members of the Elysian Camerata have provided consistently outstanding perfor- mances. They play with sensitivity, insight and great attention to detail. The Camerata's creative programming results in refreshing and engaging performances - they are truly an inspired ensemble and one of the area's real treasures.” Mark Anderson, choirmaster, Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill

"The passionate performances by the ensemble, which varied in lineup from a violin/ piano duo to a full piano quintet, were greatly appreciated by the audience . . . . A bit of background information to introduce Ravel's String Quartet in F major added interest and increased anticipation for the fine performance that followed. " Sharon Torello Local Arts Live Blog

“I started my own concert series in an effort to present only the finest in classical and jazz entertainment. I heard part of a rehearsal, and knew immediately that I just had to have the Elysian Camerata on one of my programs. Judging from the compliments I am still receiving about their May 22, 2010 performance in Grace Presbyterian Church in Jenkintown, PA, I certainly want to have this awesome ensemble back for a return en- gagement. I have been to many professional chamber music concerts, and quite frankly, as an experienced musician myself, I was impressed with the nuances, phrasing, and deep interpretations by the Elysian Camerata. When I present this great ensemble once again, I know the program will be just as interesting, balanced and varied as the perfor- mance they recently gave on my Regol Concerts series. If you see one of their concerts advertised, I strongly suggest you make it your business to be there!” Renee Goldman, President, Regol Concerts, Inc. Management, Al Harrison Music

“The Elysian Camerata performed as part of our 2008/2009 season, rendering wonderful- ly executed and expressively presented music. This was their debut performance in At- lanta before a very musically sophisticated audience. The program was well-received and commented on repeatedly by those "in the know" for weeks afterward. This is a won- derful group of accomplished musicians who contribute greatly to the performance of chamber music; their repertoire is extensive, and they have a great sensitivity and un- derstanding of their music and a great chemistry in relating between themselves while playing. This bond can only be achieved after extensive practice and performing togeth- er. It was a privilege having them perform on our series, which is now in its 29th sea- son.” Ivan Millender, Chairman, Cultural Arts Committee Ahavath Achim Synagogue, Atlanta, GA